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After Cheering for the 2013 Government Shutdown, DeSantis Ditches Freedom Caucus Friends, Votes for Budget Deal

Reminder: DeSantis Was Behind the 2013 Shutdown Which Hurt Florida, Has a Long Record of Obstructionism

Tallahassee, FL. — After years of cheering for government shutdowns that hurt Florida’s economy, Congressman Ron DeSantis (R-Fox News) seemingly reversed course early this morning by voting for a bipartisan budget deal. The vote was a massive flip-flop for DeSantis — and a cynical effort to erase his obstructionist record and his support for the 2013 government shutdown which hurt Florida’s tourism economy and destroyed jobs.

DeSantis has spent years railing against the national debt and was seen as an “instigator” of the 2013 government shutdown. Indeed, DeSantis has been one of Congress’ most militant deficit hawks — a position that has left him isolated in Congress. According to a Tampa Bay Times profile this morning, his closest (and only) friends have been members of the Freedom Caucus, which DeSantis co-founded and came out strongly against the budget deal.

But apparently things change when you’re running for statewide office. This morning, DeSantis tried to erase years of obstructionism by supporting the latest bipartisan budget deal. His vote has already earned him eye-rolls from across the political spectrum. This morning, former Republican Congressman David Jolly called DeSantis’ vote “quite a reversal” and Republican state representative James Grant mocked DeSantis’ rhetorical acrobatics.

Check out DeSantis long record of railing against government spending and supporting government shutdowns here:

Politico: DeSantis “Was Among The House Members Identified As An Instigator In The 2013 Government Shutdown.” “Jolly refrains from speaking ill of his fellow Republican rivals (yeah, that’ll change for all of them soon), but he likely has DeSantis in his sights. DeSantis, allied with anti-establishment insurgent Republican groups like the Senate Conservatives Fund and Club for Growth, was among the House members identified as an instigator in the 2013 government shutdown. ‘I consider myself part of the governing caucus – not the shutdown caucus,’ Jolly said in a brief interview with POLITICO. ‘Anybody who suggests shutting down the government can own their own record. I’ll own my own. ... I’m a less-government conservative. But whatever your view of government is, if you’re an elected official, you have a responsibility to effectively administer that level of government. You don’t get to just shut it down. You don’t get to take your ball and go home. You don’t get to be angry about it. You don’t get to walk away from the negotiating table. You have a responsibility to govern.’” [Politico, Florida Playbook, 8/5/15]

DeSantis Supported Ted Cruz’s Measure To Defund Obamacare By Threaten To Hold Up A Continuing Resolution To Fund The U.S. Government. “As Republican senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, and James Inhofe prepare to introduce a meas-ure to defund Obamacare -- and threaten to hold up a continuing resolution to fund the U.S. government if the measure is not given a vote -- some conservatives are unhappy that the House, controlled by Republi-cans, did not do the same thing. […] ‘I think everyone in the conference would have voted for it,’ added Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis, another supporter. Nevertheless, the Republican leadership did not allow the amendment to be considered. And that, Salmon, DeSantis, and other conservative Republicans believe, is a measure of the leadership's uneasiness with continuing the legislative fight against Obamacare.” [Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, 3/12/13]

DeSantis: “I'm Not Advocating [For A Government Shutdown]. But At The Same Time, I'm Not Going To Act Like That Would Be The Worst Thing Ever.” “For his part, DESANTIS believes that if the GOP signals that it will do anything to avoid a shut-down, it will have little leverage to enact significant reforms. Obama, too, has something to fear from a shutdown, DESANTIS suggested, if the public places some part of the blame at his feet. ‘If we don't have a shutdown, that's great,’ DESANTIS said. ‘I'm not advocating one. But at the same time, I'm not going to act like that would be the worst thing ever.’ ‘I don't think we should ever take it off the table,’ added Salmon. ‘I don't have a trigger finger, where I'm itching to pull that trigger. But the fact is, we should never, ever say that all options aren't on the table.” [Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, 3/12/13]

DeSantis Opposed A Budget Deal That Ended The Partial Federal Government Shutdown And Avoided A Default On The Nation’s Debt. “One of the most glaring conclusions from the 16-day government shutdown is the tactical and philosophical rift nationally within the Republican Party. […] But as it relates to the final budget deal, the issue served to further highlight the line between the two phi-losophies. Establishment Republicans were able to set aside their Obamacare opposition when it became clear that wouldn't be accomplished before the deadline expired on the government's authority to borrow money to pay its debts. Many ‘no’ voters said they saw the consequences of default on those debts and prolonged government shutdown as their best leverage. ‘This 'deal' ratifies a state of affairs in which the government can impose burdens on society as a whole while relieving those burdens for politically connected entities,’ said freshman U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a Ponte Vedra Beach Republican. He won his seat with the help of national conservative groups like Club for Growth and FreedomWorks, which oppose Obamacare and urged members to oppose the final budget deal.” [Florida Times-Union, 10/18/13]

DeSantis: Debt “The Most Critical Crisis We Face.” According to the Charlotte Sun, “DeSantis cited the national debt, saying the country's debt ‘has boiled over. We're in a debt crisis. It's the most critical crisis we face, devastating to millions and millions of Americans.’ He said if he is elected senator, he would work to replace Obamacare (saving the country $1.3 billion), but the crisis wouldn't be fully fixed until term limits are set for Congress.” [Charlotte Sun, 4/24/16]

DeSantis: “The National Debt Is The Most Predictable Crisis We Face As A People.” “Did you know this week the national debt, one day this week, it went up an extra $300 billion because they play these games with the debt limit? So we’re basically at about $19 trillion and by the time this President takes office we very well make it $20 trillion in national debt. Here’s the thing – I’m the Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee so I’m doing hearings on potential terrorist attacks, EMP attacks, all these things. I’m trying to figure out what are the threats to our country. The national debt is the most predictable crisis we face as a people. I can’t tell you it’s going to ripen into a crisis next week, next year, I can’t even tell you five years, but eventually if we keep going on this course you are going to see the country be financially insolvent and bankrupt.” [Okeechobee Lincoln Day Dinner, DeSantis Speech, 11/5/15] (VIDEO)

DeSantis Said The Federal Debt Was “The Most Obvious Threat To Our Nation.” In a speech at The Villages in Florida, DeSantis said, “We have a lot of national security threats, but I think this is true - the most obvious threat to our nation is our national debt. We are going to have to pay the piper at some point. I don't know whether it's tomorrow, next year, ten years from now, but you cannot keep spending the way this government is spending.” [The Villages Town Hall with Trey Gowdy, DeSantis Speech, 11/9/15] (VIDEO)